Ragtime and Cats: The Jellicle Ball battled it out at the 2026 Tonys, leading to some unexpected wins and snubs. The musical revivals went into Sunday night’s awards ceremony with 11 and nine nominations respectively, and they ended the night with Ragtime in a slight lead with four Tonys to Cats: The Jellicle Ball‘s three awards. Ragtime triumphed in the best musical revival category, arguably the closest race of the night. However, Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, who directed Cats: The Jellicle Ball, won best direction of a musical over Ragtime director Lear deBessonet, triumphing in a close race. Another Cats snub and surprise win came in the featured actor in a musical race. Theater legend André De Shields was seen as having an edge in the category for his role as Old Deuteronomy, a literally show-stopping performance, but instead Ali Louis Bourzgui was the surprise winner for his role as The Lost Boys‘ charismatic vampire leader. Bourzgui delivered a powerful speech, in which he spoke out against fascists and billionaires and in support of …